Untitled 1999

This untitled work was made by Jasper Johns using graphite and watercolor on paper. Johns emerged as an artist in the 1950s, during a time of shifting cultural values in the wake of World War II. Here, a collection of images are suspended in the translucent ether of memory. Each image represents a different facet of existence: green stripes suggestive of a flag, an exploding galaxy, a formal family portrait, and harlequin diamonds. Johns invites us to consider the intersections of public identity and personal history through the lens of abstraction. Johns once said that using preconceived objects allowed him to deal with "other things," like space, color, and scale. In this work, the collage of disconnected symbols generates an introspective narrative and evokes an atmosphere of nostalgia and contemplation. The artist gently coaxes us to consider the diverse and often contradictory elements that constitute our identities.